Window shade



Jam 253, 1%4-3. I A. LQIDL 2,3(99A62 WINDOW SHADE Filed June 23, 1942 INVENTOB 1T imam Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDOW SHADE August Loidl, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application June 23, 1942, Serial No. 448,059

5 Claims.

My invention is an improved window shade of the spring-roller type and is designed to obviate the breakage of bottom sticks and tearing of tiebacks for or mesh fabrics of side curtains which commonly results from quickly pulling downward, and incidentally outward, the conventional shade of a trimmed window.

My invention consists in so shaping and sti1iening the lower edge of a window shade that its outer portions form obtuse angles with the parallel side edges of the shade so that the tie-backs of side curtains, or the fabric of such side curtains, are deflected outwardly by the engagement therewith of the stiffened tapering portions of the bottom edge of the descending shade.

The tapering portions of the lower. edge of the shade may have either a curved or a straight contour and should extend inwardly from the side edges of the shade at least as far as the inner bights of the tie-backs. The shades bottom edge portion intermediate the bights of the tie-backs may be of any desired contour. Preferably, however, the entire bottom edge of the shade is convexly curved on the arc of a circle intersecting the side edges and i provided with a casing or pocket for the reception of a curved stiffener, such as a rod or stick, to prevent bending of the shade when it engages the tie-backs or side curtains. The desired stifiening of the bottom edge may, however, be imparted by impregnating or rimming the shade fabric with suitable stiffening material, such as a synthetic plastic solidifiable into a relatively rigid product.

The characteristic features and advantages of my improvements will further appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing in illustration thereof.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation, viewed from the room side, of a trimmed window embodying my improvements with the stifiened, deflecting bottom edge of a shade hanging plumb slightly above the tie-backs of side curtains; Fig. 2 is an elevation, viewed from the outside, of the trimmed window shown in Fig. 1 with the stillened deflecting bottom edge of the shade moved downwardly and slightly out of plumb against the tie-backs and the window frame sectioned on the line 22 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating the partial deflection of a tie-back by a further descent of the deflecting, stiffened bottom edge of the shade shown in Figs. 1 to 3; Fig. 5 illustrates the complete deflection of a tie-back beyond the side edge of a shade by the further descent of the deflecting, stiffened bottom edge of a shade and also illustrates a modified contour of the bottom edge of the shade; Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but showing the stiffened, bottom edge of the shade hanging plumb well below the tie-backs and the restoration of the latter to their normal positions.

My improved window shade is shown in the drawing applied to a trimmed window having a curtain rod 4 mounted on the top of the window frame 5 and supporting side curtains or hangings 6 encircled and draped back by tie-backs or belts l anchored on hooks 8 and extending inwardly and downwardly to bights 9.

A spring-roller I0 is journalled in brackets H on the frame and has rolled thereon a vertically movable shade [2 having parallel side edges l3.

In pulling down a spring-roller window shade of the above type, there is a tendency to pull its bottom slightly outward beyond the vertical plane occupied thereby when at rest and into a vertical plane intersecting the side curtains 6 or the tiebacks l, with consequent entanglement of the usual straight stick-expanded-bottom of the shade with the tie-backs l, or with the side curtains B, particularly when the latter are of openmesh fabric. To obviate this entanglement, and consequent breakage of shade, tie-backs or ourtain, I provide the shade with a deflecting or tapering lower edge having outer portions forming obtuse angles with the side edges l3.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the bottom edge I4 of the shade is convexly curved so that the outer portions I5 thereof adjacent to the tiebacks l taper downwardly and inwardly at obtuse angles to the side edges l3. A casing it formed along the bottom edge of the shade and conforming to the contour thereof, houses a concavo-convex stiffener H, such as a curved stick or metal rod.

Instead of making the lower edge of the shade curved, it may have the form of a truncated wedge, as indicated in Fig. 5, with substantially straight edge portions l5 tapering inwardly at obtuse anglesfrom the edges l3 to points inwardly of the bights 9 and stiffened with a suitable stifiener ll housed in a casing It. The lower shade edge between the portions I5 may be of any desired contour.

In lieu of inserting a stick or rod in a casing, the lower edge of the shade may be stiffened in any other suitable manner, as, for instance, by impregnation with a solidifiable plastic stiffener.

The stifiening means employed should be sufliciently rigid to prevent bending or folding of the bottom edge of the shade and to deflect sideways the tie-backs 1 as their bights are engaged by tapering portions l5 or [5' successively nearer and nearer to the edges l3 as the shade is pulled down, slightly out of plumb, as indicated in Figs. 2, 4 and 5.

After the shade has descended far enough for its divergent bottom edge portions I5 or l5 to have cleared the bights 9, and the shade is freed and lies plumb in a plane between the tie-backs and frame, the tie-backs and curtains revert to their original positions as indicated in Fig. 6.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with side curtains and tiebacks therefor, of a spring-roller-shade having a convexly curved bottom edge containing a stiffener.

2. The combination with a pair of side curtains and tie-backs therefor with inner bights spaced from one another, of a spring-rollershade having parallel side edges and a bottom edge having portions tapering downwardly at obtuse angles from the side edges at least as far inwardly as the inner bights of the tie-backs, and means for stiffening said portions.

3. A window trimming comprising a pair of side curtains, tie-backs draping said curtains, and a spring-roller-shade movable vertically along said curtains and including means for deflecting said tie-backs outwardly upon the descent of the shade.

4. A spring-roller-shade having a curved bottom provided with a casing containing a downwardly projecting concavo-convex stifiener.

5. A vertically movable shade having parallel side edges and a bottom edge including portions tapering downwardly and inwardly from said side edges at obtuse angles thereto and means for stifiening said portions.

AUGUST LOIDL. 

